Scholz & Friends: Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe’s Anti-Look QR Code

In Germany, the standard is that an ambulance should arrive within eight minutes of an emergency call. But today, every second emergency response in Germany is delayed. The reason? People filming with their smartphones.

With the omnipresence of digital devices, onlookers have become a huge issue. These ‘civilian paparazzi’ take photos of victims and impede life-saving rescue operations. Scholz & Friends designed a campaign that turned smartphones from problem into problem-solvers - by developing an innovative digital pattern that functions like a camouflaged QR code.

Ambulances, paramedics’ uniforms and equipment have been covered with the digital pattern, with the QR code uniquely adapted to each. When an onlooker tries to capture a rescue operation with their smartphone, a message will pop up on the display - confronting the onlooker with the impact of what they’re doing and educating them about proper behaviour at accident scenes.

Today, the design is in use throughout the country via Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, one of Germany’s largest rescue organisations, with 65,000 employees and 750,000 rescue missions per year. The innovative design will soon be extended to other emergency organisations throughout Europe.